GUTIERRE DE CETINA: BIOGRAPHY AND WORKS - LITERATURE - 2025

Gutierre de Cetina (1520-1557) was a renowned 16th century poet of Spanish nationality. Figure of the growing cultural movement of the time, especially the prosperity of the art of Spain, that is why he is known as one of the greatest protagonists of the Spanish Golden Age and the Renaissance.

He came from a very cultured and fine family. Since he was a child he enjoyed a good economic position, which facilitated his academic and literary development, study benefits that, for the time in which he lived, were only possible for wealthy families.

Gutierre de Cetina. Source: Francisco Pacheco, via Wikimedia Commons

This poet was a man who knew how to express his feelings and love emotions through verses, prose and songs, which made him gain recognition in the literary world of the time.

Biography

Place of birth and family

His exact date of birth is unknown, but it can be stated that he was born in Seville, Spain, in 1520. He was the first child of the marriage of Beltrán de Cetina y Alcocer and Francisca del Castillo y Sanabria. Gutierre was the older brother of Beltrán de Cetina, Ana Andrea del Castillo and Gregorio de Cetina.

Gutierre de Cetina's family was characterized by being cultured, distinguished and well-off, hence its finesse. Although information about his studies or academic training is not known with certainty, it is presumed that he learned letters and literature.

A poet soldier

Gutierre de Cetina served in the military for Carlos I, King of Spain, fighting in European battles from 1538, under the command of Fernando Gonzaga, Viceroy of Sicily, until 1548.

It is known that he participated in the failed expedition against, in 1541, and in the capture of Düren in 1543. The latter was a fortress of Guillermo de Cleves, an ally of Francisco I of France.

It is also known that he took part in actions in Germany, Italy and France. During his stay in Italy, which was for a long period of time, Gutierre de Cetina was influenced by the disposition of Francesco Petrarca and Garcilaso de la Vega, although he also studied Luigi Tansillo, Ludovico Ariosto and Pietro Bembo.

Despite being a military man, he had time to write and dedicate poems to many personalities, among which Antonio de Leyva (prince of Ascoli and prominent military man) stands out, which made it easier for him to meet Luisa de Leyva and the diplomatic poet Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, an important literary figure in his time.

Death

In the year 1557, while in Puebla de los Angeles, Mexico, he was fatally wounded when he fell in love with Leonor de Osma. Gutierre de Cetina was serenading him at his window when Hernando de Nava, a jealous contender, arrived and stabbed him, killing him.

Historians report that while Gutierre de Cetina was in the company of some friends, he decided to go serenade Leonor de Osma, who was a married woman, but accepted the compliments, and met Hernando Navas, who also arrived at the place to make the young married woman fall in love.

Legend has it that Hernando Nava came from a wealthy and influential family, so after having wounded Gutierre de Cetina, he hid in a convent and fled dressed as a friar.

However, after a while, Hernando was arrested and sentenced to death. However, given the influence of his mother, he was pardoned, but not before cutting off the hand with which he held the knife that ended Gutierre Cetina's life.

Plays

Gutierre de Cetina, despite being Spanish, was strongly influenced by the Petrarchism genre. His works were written in Italian and are composed of madrigals, sonnets, love songs, stays, epistles, a seistine, an ode and various compositions.

In his youth he was known by the alias "Vandalio".

The work that immortalized him was composed to a beautiful young lady named Laura Gonzaga. In the text he speaks of clear and serene eyes, and is known as the Petrarchan Songbook. The renowned Madrigal was dedicated to women and contains loving thoughts in abundant sonnets.

Here is an excerpt from it:

There is little information about his works, however now small extracts of part of his best known poems will be exhibited:

To the Mount Where Carthage Was

Between Arms, War, Fire, Wrath and Fury

“Among weapons, war, fire, anger and fury,

which are oppressed by the proud French,

when the air is more cloudy and thicker,

there the fierce ardor of love squeezes me.

I look at the sky, the trees, the flowers,

and in them I find my express pain,

that in the coldest and most wicked weather

my fears are born and turn green… ”.

Happy hours that you fly by

“Joyful hours that you fly by

because around the greater good it feels bad;

tasty night that in such a sweet affront

the sad dismissal you are showing me;

importunate watch, that hastening

your course, my pain represents me;

stars with whom I never had an account,

that my departure is accelerating;

rooster that my regret you have denounced;

star that my light is darkening;

and you, badly calm and aurora wench… ”.

Gutierre de Cetina: an undervalued legacy

Gutierre de Cetina's works lack edition because his poetry books and texts were not safeguarded at the time, not like many of the other poets. Some of his manuscripts could hardly be collected.

It was in the nineteenth century when an edition was published where you can read some long poems. In that work the investigations of many authors were collected and appreciated.

This memorable work is owed to Joaquín Hazañas y la Rúa, and to date it is the only one who has attempted to make a complete edition of the works of Gutierre de Cetina, who published it in 1985.

It is considered that before this date Cetina's works were disaggregated because they belonged to the first generation of Petrarchist poets.

In addition, there was a lack of interest in previously compiling their works due to the shadow left over the others by the madrigal "Clear, serene eyes". However, today we can affirm that Gutierre de Cetina has many wonderful works that describe the different stages of love in the Spanish Golden Age.

References

1. Gutierre de Cetina. (S. f.). (N / a): Wikipedia. Recovered from: org.
2. Gutierre de Cetina. (S. f.). (N / a): Poems of the Soul. Recovered from: Poemas-del-alma.com.
3. Gutierre de Cetina. (S. f.). (N / a): EcuRed. Recovered from: Ecured.cu.
4. Gutierre de Cetina. (S. f.). (N / a): Legends and myths in Puebla. Recovered from: Leyendasymitosenpuebla.blogspot.com
5. Sonnets by Gutierre de Cetina. (S. f.). Spain: virtual Cervantes. Recovered from: com.